Education News
Central Texas A4LE Chapter Selects 2021-2022 President
FGM Architects (FGMA) in Austin, Texas, recently announced that Design Principal Rebecca Richter, AIA, ALEP, LEED AP, RID has been selected as the 2021-2022 President of the A4LE (Association for Learning Environments), Central Texas Chapter. Richter leads FGMA’s PK-12 school design team and joined the firm in January 2020.
Most recently, her work has included the design and construction of St. Austin Catholic School for students in grades PK-8. The project is scheduled for completion in 2023 and will be located across the street from the main campus of the University of Texas at Austin. Amenities will include collaborative learning areas, rooftop gardens, play areas, and a basketball court.
Richter’s career has spanned more than 30 years, and her focus has primarily been educational design. A news release states, “She is committed to creating spaces that support the way students learn and finding balance between the intended use of a space, its larger cultural context, and the natural environment in which the facility resides. Two key concepts inform her approach: design thinking, a human-centered, iterative process which prioritizes the needs of end users; and pattern language, which encompasses the myriad components of a design process.”
A4LE was founded in 1921. Richter has served as an active member of the Central Texas Chapter for more than 15 years and was elected to its board in 2012. She also served as the Program Coordinator from 2017-2019 and the President-elect during 2019-2020. The chapter has more than 250 members.
“I’m passionate about innovative learning environments and the rich conversations it brings to the table,” said Richter in a press release. “I also love building communities in schools and connecting the dots of relationships with those spaces.”
About the Author
Matt Jones is senior editor of Spaces4Learning. He can be reached at [email protected].